Endothelial cell loss after phacoemulsification - A comparison between the ''reversed tip and snip'' technique and the ''divide and conquer'' technique

Background The endothelial cell count after phakoemulsification is a sensitive parameter to compare different phakoemulsification techniques. Patients and method In a prospective study 30 patients in each group were operated upon the ''Reversed Tip and Snip'' and with the ''Divide and Conquer''-Technique. The corneal endothelial cell count Nas measured before surgery and 4 weeks and 3 months after the operation. Results The endothelial cell count was reduced significantly about 10% after the the ''Reversed Tip and Snip'' and about 15% after the ''Divide and Conquer''-Technique. The first mentioned technique had a significantly reduced fell loss than the latter. Conclusion The ''Reversed Tip and Snip'' phakoemulsification technique causes less endothelial cell loss than the ''Divide and Conquer''-Technique.